R.E.M. have announced a 25th anniversary reissue of their fifth studio album, 1996’s New Adventures In Hi-Fi, arriving October 29 via Craft Recordings. To celebrate, the college-rock favorites have also unveiled an alternate version of album track “Leave,” for which Michael Stipe recorded new vocals. “I actually might prefer this version to the one that’s on the record,” he said in a statement. “Well, I wouldn’t say I prefer it, it just tells a different story with the lyric.” Check it out above.
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As for what’s in the reissue: There’s a 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Deluxe Edition with a newly remastered album, 13 B-sides and rarities, an hourlong outdoor projection film, and a previously unreleased 30-minute EPK. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray features five HD-restored music videos (including “Bittersweet Me,” “Electrolite,” and “E-Bow The Letter”). Finally, there’s a 52-page hardcover book with archival photographs, plus new liner notes from journalist Mark Blackwell and reflections from all four original band members, as well as from Patti Smith, Radiohead‘s Thom Yorke, and producer Scott Litt.
There’s also an Expanded Edition available, which includes the remastered album, plus B-sides and rarities. Along with the 2-CD set, you’ll get an exclusive poster plus four collectible postcards, as well as a booklet featuring new liner notes and archival photos. Finally, the newly remastered album will be available as a 2-LP set, pressed on 180-gram vinyl.
New Adventures In Hi-Fi was famously written on the road, during the band’s 1995 Monster tour. It’s also the last album featuring former R.E.M. drummer and founding member Bill Berry. “The idea was, ‘Let’s challenge ourselves,'” guitarist Peter Buck told Blackwell about the album. “My feeling was, it’ll show exactly where we’re at right now in a way that maybe some of the records don’t at all. This record was just an attempt to be who we were at that minute.”
Look for the New Adventures In Hi-Fi reissue on 10/29 via Craft Recordings. Pre-order it here.
